Iraq intends to use Iranian expertise in managing groundwater resources that are depleting rapidly in both countries and exacerbating water crisis.
Iraq's Minister of Water Resources Aoun Diab Abdullah made the statement in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Mehrabian, on the sidelines of the Third International Water Conference held on May 6 in Baghdad, the Energy Ministry’s news portal reported.
“Strengthening cooperation and sharing data, experiences and technology with neighboring states on how to use, store and process water is of great importance, as it can help tackle water-related issues more effectively and supply water to as many people as possible,” the Iraqi minister said.
“Iraq is keen on establishing a committee to implement joint ventures on transboundary water resources in a way that guarantees both countries’ interests.”
Abdullah noted that meetings will continue with the Iranian side regarding Iraq’s water share.
Water scarcity is a severe issue in drought-stricken Iraq. The country is the fifth-most vulnerable nation in the world to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the UN.
The issue has been exacerbated by Turkish dams on rivers that flow into Iraq, cutting off the increasingly dry nation from much-needed water.
According to the Iraqi minister, the Baghdad Water Conference is primarily aimed at finding possible alternatives and solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change and global warming.
Participants will also discuss sustainability of the marshes and wetlands to preserve the region’s ecosystem and biodiversity.
Water scarcity is an increasing problem on every continent, with poorer communities most badly affected. To build resilience against climate change and serve a growing population, an integrated and inclusive approach must be adopted to manage this finite resource.
Climate Change
The impacts of a changing climate are making water more unpredictable. Terrestrial water storage – the water held in soil, snow and ice – is diminishing. This results in increased water scarcity, which disrupts societal activity.
“The whole world is affected by water paucity and its related issues,” Mehrabian said, adding that Iran is ready to collaborate with Iraq to carry out shared water plans.
The official noted that Iran is and will be committed to respecting neighbors’ water rights.
Iran is ready to settle the conflict over Arvand River based on the terms of the 1975 Algiers Agreement, which has clearly specified border lines between the two nations, he added.
According to Jabbar Vatanfada, the head of the Energy Ministry’s Department of Border Rivers and Joint Water Resources, the two neighbors need to tackle the issue via negotiations, and making baseless claims and false accusations does not allow the two sides to solve the problem through diplomatic channels.
The two countries agreed last year to conduct a joint comprehensive survey on how to share trans-boundary water resources based on the 1975 Algiers Agreement. Nonetheless, Iraqis refused to do their fair share based on some irrational and unacceptable reasons and threatened to sue Iran.
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
The drastic decline of water flowing to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers has adversely affected both countries, and Turkey should be blamed for this tragedy as it has built numerous dams on the rivers.
Arvand River is the only water source that flows from Iran to Iraq; the water of the dams on the Karoun River is not even given to the people of Khuzestan, as the dam’s water level is depleting.
Iraq’s problem pertains to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that originate from Turkey that has built dams on both rivers. This and Iraq's plan to extract more water from the two rivers have decreased water level in Arvand. The Hawizeh Marshes are also drying up on the Iranian side.
The inflow of water to Iraq from Turkey and Iran, as well as water pollution in the cities through which it passes, has fueled border disputes, increased water salinity and destroyed acres of fertile agricultural land.
The diversion of rivers and digging of canals, especially the Bahmanshir Canal near the Shatt-al-Arab have caused the Thalweg Line, which specifies the border between Iran and Iraq, to be extended to around 2 kilometers toward Iraq.
The Iranian official said if Iraq has planned to go to international authorities for Iran’s noncompliance with water rights, it ought to sue Turkey, which has built many dams in its country without the coordination of neighboring countries and does not allow water to flow into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Stressing that other neighboring countries have long violated Iran’s water rights, Vatanfada noted that Afghanistan’s excuses not to release Iran’s fair share of joint water resources are not acceptable and Iran is still hopeful that the matter can be resolved diplomatically.
